i L i n d . n e t

[Read on, and you'll see that today's entry was prepared using ecto, a program for offline editing of WordPress blogs. And it hasn't gone smoothly. I have no idea why the formatting and font changes in the middle of this entry. Obviously, I'm going to have to find some instructions here somewhere....But read on.]

Saturday is off to a less than auspicious start. First, I’m struggling to repress worry about a malfunctioning hard drive. It’s the primary drive in my digital photo network. I can’t tell if the drive is dead or the power supply failing to deliver enough juice. There’s a backup drive, so hopefully I’m not entirely screwed, but there’s always doubt about the integrity of the entire backup. I’ll have to deal with the diagnostics later today. And on top of this I’m trying out a copy of ecto, an offline editor, to prepare and post this entry to my WordPress-driven blog. Normally, WordPress requires that you write and edit while connected to the Internet, but looking ahead to the Democratic Convention, this might not be possible. Hence the search for a workable alternative. Ecto is a neat little program that appears to let me write anywhere and then connect just long enough to upload an entry plus any photos or graphics. I downloaded this copy yesterday and am trying it for the first time. Whooppee!

Okay, so UH gets a $5 million donation to renovate its athletic facilities and, in the process, Cooke Field becomes Ching Field, part of the soon to be constructed Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Complex. But what about Mr. Cooke? Is this a sign of the times? Your name isn’t safe if someone comes along who is willing to top your earlier bid? Does the Ching Complex deal include some provision that this time the name remains in perpetuity, or will it also be subject to being pushed aside for a future generation donor? This isn’t naming, it’s renaming, and it seems somewhat short sighted to push history aside for today’s high bidder. Doesn’t tradition and continuity count for something when it comes to raising funds from alumni? Why didn’t they just leave Cooke Field as a part of the larger Ching Athletic Complex, accommodating new money as well as historical commitments? I’m sure Mr. Ching, had he still been with us, would have been glad have the facility bearing his name subsume the field named for Joseph Platt Cooke, the president of Alexander & Baldwin in the early part of the 20th Century.

At the beginning of the week, Advertiser reporter Peter Boylan noted the dearth of serious challengers running for seats on the Honolulu City Council, despite controversial issues on the council agenda, a sputtering economy, higher taxes and fees, and substantial public criticism of the council’s performance. Boylan’s story cites the cost of campaigning and public apathy as possible factors deterring potential challengers.Another factor, in my view, is the decline in news coverage of the council, which has diminished the public stature of council members. Although it is now possible to watch full council proceedings via Olelo’s cable coverage, daily news coverage of council debates is no longer the norm as it used to be. And that news coverage made the council seem a more vital, interesting place to be. Now the council seems to be a side show to the mayor’s center stage. No wonder candidates aren’t standing in line for the opportunity to serve.Senator Dan Inouye was among several current and former members of Congress who submitted a legal brief in support of the House Judiciary Committee’s lawsuit seeking to compel testimony and the production of documents by two former top aides to President Bush.

According to Congressional Quarterly:

In a friend-of-the-court brief filed Thursday in federal court in Washington, the group argued that “the committee has made an ample showing of the need to obtain the subpoenaed documents and testimony.”

Inouye was a member of the Senate Select Committee to investigate the Watergate scandal in 1973, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against claims of absolute executive privilege invoked by then-President Richard Nixon.
By the way, the House Judiciary Committee web site contains a treasure trove of primary documents from the committee’s work. Definitely worth checking out.
And while you’re at it, check this story about foreclosures of homes of military personnel: “Foreclosures in towns where soldiers live are increasing at a pace nearly four times the national average.”
Okay, now I’m going to have ecto do its thing and “publish” this entry. Crossing my fingers.